Vacuum-tube apparatus



June 30, 1925. 1,543,872

s. RUBEN VACUUM TUBE APPARATUS Filed April 13, 1923 lNvENTOR Sandel/e'fifa ATTORNEY sanzioni. RUBEN, or NEW YORK, n. ifA

'VACUUM-TUBE APPARATUS.

Application led April 13, 1923. SerialNo. 631,938.

To all 'whom 'it may concern.'

Be it known that I, 'SAMUEL RUBEN, citizen of the United States, andresident of New York city, in the county of New York and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful 'Vacuum-Tube Appay ratus, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention 'relates to a vacuum or electron tube apparatus; anditrelates m'ore particularly to apparatus of 'this general type in whichadvantage is taken of certain effects produced by electronic emission toaccomplish the control of an electrical circuit in a predeterminedmanner, especially where this involves making and breaking such circuitby relay operation, and in which is provided, also a means for relayingaudio frequency oscillations, im ressed upon a receiving circuit, by anano e or plate element designed and arranged to meet the requirements oftelephonie operation.` y lin such fields as radio control, signalrecording, simultaneous telephonie and telegraphic operation, andcontrol of electrical circuits of high current density and potential,and in other relations, it is commonly desirable to control'the flow ofcurrent in a circuit'in a predetermined manner, and to relay by thesameapparatus audio' frequency oscillations. ln the apparatus of myinvention `I have combined in one vacuum tube, means for accomplishingboth objects.

In my prior co-pendingapplication, Serial Number, 551,778, filed April12, 1922, l have disclosed and claimed an electron relay device in whichthe effects produced by electronic impact upon the plate or anodeelement of a cathode discharge are utilized for the purpose ofcontrolling the flow of current in an external circuit, specifically bythe movement of a thermo-expansive anode to operate a circuitmake-and-break device. The present application is therefore acontinuation in part of, andan addition to said prior co-pendingapplication, in that it is .upon a device in which, with the circuitcontrol means disclosed in said p rior application, is included in avacuum tube, means for relay' g audio frequency oscillations, moreefficiently than by employing the thermo-expansive anode therefor.

One of the principal objects of my present invention is therefore, toprovide'in one vacuumtube, means by which both operations can beeiiiciently performed. In gen-y utilization in a vacuum' tube apparatusof the effects produced by electronic impact' upon a plate or anodeelement by the movement thereof, to control, by a make-andbreak device,the current'in an external circuit, and of the effect of theV thermionicdischarge from the same cathode upon another anode, for relaying audiofrequency oscillations'.

In an apparatus constructed according to my present invention, areemployed a cathode, a thermo-expansive anode of restricted area, due towhich the impedence of the theimionic gap is relatively large, a circuitmake-and-break v device, operable by the movement of the anode inresponse to variations of the thermionic discharge, and the circuitconnection means for the various elements and, in addition, fortelephonie impulse relaying, a stationary anode designed and arrangedfor a thermionic gap of relatively low impedence. The stationary anodeis normally not connected in the receiving circuit, butl means areprovided by which, upon receipt of designated signals, it can beconnected in circuit with a telephone receiver or used foramplification.

Broadly, the invention involvesthe use of a vacuum tube having an anodeor plate element delicately responsive to temperature variationsproduced by impact of the cathode discharge thereupon, the impedance ofthe gap between those elements being relatively large, the expansion andcontraction of said anode serving to actuate a nonarcing currentmake-and-break device, included in an external electrical circuit to becontrolled or affected, and an'anode or plate element of sufficientsurface and so spaced as to allow a relatively low discharge gapimpedance, to relay more efficiently audio `eral then, the presentinvention involves the F frequency oscillations impressed upon thecircuit of the thermionic discharge modulating element of the vacuumtube apparatus.

To accelerate the thermo-expansive anode response to variations inelectron bombardment, means are provided for maintaining the normalanode temperature at. a point higher than that of the surroundingatmosphere, so that the radiation is initially high. This isaccomplished by the discharge of energy through the 'anode by a localcircuit, independent of the emission bombardment of the cathode. Thenormal temperature of that anode is raised to about 600 deg. (I and, asthe speed of the anode response is controlled by its thermal radiationpower, the speed may be expressed by pzkea, lo being the radiationconstant, e its thermal emissivity which has amaximum value when theanode has the radiation power of a black body, a the area and t thetemperature. The area is made as large as possible by the use of a stripanode and s is increased by blackening the anode surface.

By adjusting this temperature, the speed of response is controlled, sothat it may be made unresponsive to signals at radio frequency of thesaine wave length, but of shorter duration than that of the callingsignal.

For relaying audio frequency oscillations an anode of wide area exposedto the cathode discharge is arranged to partially surround that element,over its full length, as far as possible.

The principle of the invention can best be explained in connection witha certainillustrative embodiment of the invention shown in theaccompanying which,

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a vacuum or electron tubeconstructed in accordance with the invention. y

practical application of the novel vacuum tube in a relaying systempermitting simultaneous and separate utilization of the call signalcircuit and of that of the second anode.

Referring more particularly to F ig. l, l representsr a highly evacuatecontainer of glass or other suitable material. Projecti ing within thetube is a glass stem, 3, in

which are conducting members 15 and 15,1 constituting leads to theexternal circuit to be controlled by operation of contact 8, on arm 6,moving towards or away from stationary contact 9, by the expansion andcontraction of anode 10, responsive to electron im act thereon4 fromcathode 13, as contro led by the potential grid 12. At 10a is a secondanode, the gap between which and cathode 13, partiall` surroundedthereby, is narrowly spaced. eads 10", 12, 13"--13b and 14 connectrespectively with anode l0, grid 1.2, cathode 13 and anode 10, theheating current for which is supplied through leads 14 and 15". v

Referring to Fig. 2, 16 represents a radio circuit tuning device, 23 26a switch, 27 a bell or other signal device in the external circuit to becontrolled. In

the receiving circuit G and' C2 are respectively a grid leak and acondenser. condenser in the telephonecircuit; B1 B4 are the sources ofener circuits shown, and R,l an sistances.

B21 B37 for the' various` R2 variable redrawings, in"

a telephone receiver,

In operation, as signals are received and indicated by the externalcircuit in which bell 27 is connected, as fully set forth in my saidprior co-pending application, by means of the expansion and contractionof anode 10, in response to variations in impact of thermionic dischargeupon it, controlled by changes of potential of grid 12, the tuningdevice being employed to select the desired signal impulse, if used forradio or carrier wave purposes, the telephone circuit can be closed byswitch 26, in which a potential is established between cathode 13 andanode 10a, when audio frequency oscillations can be therein indicated oramplified as by the present known means.

What I claim is:

1. The combination, with a vacuum discharge device having a cathode anda plurality of anode or plate elements, located in a vacuous space, andseparate external circuits connecting said cathode with either of saidelements, of another circuit which includes a gap located in saidvacuous space and arranged to be closed and opened by the expansion andcontraction respectively, of one of said anode elements.

2. In combination, with an electron emission element, and a plurality ofanode or plate elements cooperating therewith, said Fig. 2 is a circuitdiagram illustrating a' elements being located in a vacuous space, of acircuit, including, one of said anode elements, and means for relayingthereby audio frequency oscillations, and of another circuit, includingcircuit-making-and-breaking means located in said vacuous space andoperable by the action of electron discharge upon another of said anodeelements to make or break said second circuit.

3. The combination, with an electron emission element and a plurality ofanode elements, separated therefrom, said elements being located in a.vacuous space, of a circuit, including contaet means associated with andoperable by movement of one of said anode elements to make or break saidcircuit, and of means for relaying audio frequency oscillations, saidmeans employing ano-ther of said anode elements.

4. In y combination, with an electron emission element a. plurality ofanode elements, separated therefrom, said elements being located in avacuous space, and a Jmodulating device operable to vary the electronstream between said emission element and saidanode elements, ofcircuit-makingand-breaking means mechanically connected to one of saidanode elements for actuation by movement of the latter and of means forrelaying audio frequency oscillations by the employment of another ofsaid anode elements.

5. The combination, with an electron emission element and a lurality ofanode elements, separated there om, sald elements lil being located in avacuous space, of an electrical circuit., includlng contact meanslocated within said space and associated with and operable by movementof one of said anodel elements to make or break said circuit, and ofmeans for relaying oscillations of higher frequencies. said meansemploying another of said anode elements.

6. '.lhe combination, with an electron emission element, a plurality ofanode elements. separated therefrom, said elements being located in avacnous space, and a modulating device operable to vary the electronstream between said emission elel'nent and said anode elements, ofcircuit-making-andbreaking means loca-ted within said vacuous space andmechanically connected to one of said anode elements for actuation bymovement of the latter and of means for relaying oscillations of higherfrequencies by the elnployment of another of said anode elements.

Signed at New York city in the county of New York and State of New Yorkthis 24 day of March A. D. 1923.

SAMUEL RUBEN.

